🎙️ INSIGHT with Loraine Ballard Morrill
Episode: Elevating Voices, Inspiring Change In this episode of Insight, we’re celebrating leadership, empowerment, and second chances across our community.
First, we talk with Maria DiCostanzo, Executive Vice President of ALPFA Philadelphia, about Women of ALPFA Presents: Elevating Voices, Inspiring Change — a celebration of leadership, allyship, and collective growth.
📅 Friday, November 7, 2025
🕢 7:30 AM – 12:30 PM
📍 1439 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia
Join inspiring women leaders and allies for a morning filled with stories, workshops, and recognition of pioneers who promote equity and community impact — proudly sponsored by Lincoln Financial.
🌐 Register: www.alpfaphila.org/events
Then, Abraham Reyes Pardo, Vice President of the Office of Housing and Diversion Services at the Urban League of Greater Philadelphia, shares how their Home Buyers Program helps individuals and families achieve sustainable homeownership through education and financial empowerment.
🌐 Website: www.urbanleaguephila.org/housing
💼 LinkedIn: Urban League of Greater Philadelphia
📘 Facebook: @urbanleaguegphl
Finally, State Senator Nikil Saval, Democratic Chair of the Senate Urban Affairs & Housing Committee, joins us to talk about Homecoming: A Day for Justice-Impacted Philadelphians — happening
📅 Saturday, November 8, 2025
🕚 11 AM – 2 PM
📍 Philadelphia Corporation for the Aging, 624 N. Broad Street
This free event connects returning citizens with job recruiters, expungement and pardon services, and health screenings — helping individuals rebuild their lives and reclaim their future.
🌐 Website: pasenatorsaval.com
📱 Socials: @senatorsaval (X, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, TikTok)
Empowerment, equity, and opportunity — that’s what Insight is all about.
Episode: Elevating Voices, Inspiring Change In this episode of Insight, we’re celebrating leadership, empowerment, and second chances across our community.
First, we talk with Maria DiCostanzo, Executive Vice President of ALPFA Philadelphia, about Women of ALPFA Presents: Elevating Voices, Inspiring Change — a celebration of leadership, allyship, and collective growth.
📅 Friday, November 7, 2025
🕢 7:30 AM – 12:30 PM
📍 1439 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia
Join inspiring women leaders and allies for a morning filled with stories, workshops, and recognition of pioneers who promote equity and community impact — proudly sponsored by Lincoln Financial.
🌐 Register: www.alpfaphila.org/events
Then, Abraham Reyes Pardo, Vice President of the Office of Housing and Diversion Services at the Urban League of Greater Philadelphia, shares how their Home Buyers Program helps individuals and families achieve sustainable homeownership through education and financial empowerment.
🌐 Website: www.urbanleaguephila.org/housing
💼 LinkedIn: Urban League of Greater Philadelphia
📘 Facebook: @urbanleaguegphl
Finally, State Senator Nikil Saval, Democratic Chair of the Senate Urban Affairs & Housing Committee, joins us to talk about Homecoming: A Day for Justice-Impacted Philadelphians — happening
📅 Saturday, November 8, 2025
🕚 11 AM – 2 PM
📍 Philadelphia Corporation for the Aging, 624 N. Broad Street
This free event connects returning citizens with job recruiters, expungement and pardon services, and health screenings — helping individuals rebuild their lives and reclaim their future.
🌐 Website: pasenatorsaval.com
📱 Socials: @senatorsaval (X, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, TikTok)
Empowerment, equity, and opportunity — that’s what Insight is all about.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, and welcome to Insight. Good morning. You're listening
to Insight, a show about empowering our community. I'm Lorraine
Ballad Morrell. Owning a home can sometimes feel like an
impossible dream, especially with rising costs and so many challenges
in the housing market, but the Urban League of Greater
Philadelphia is helping to make that dream come true. Through
its Comprehensive Home Buyers Program, the Urban League equips individuals
(00:22):
and families with tools, knowledge, and resources they need to
achieve sustainable home ownership. Later in the show, we'll talk
with Abraham reyes Pardo, Vice President of the Office of
Housing and Diversion Services, about how this program is opening
doors to opportunity across our city. We'll also hear from
State Senator Nikhil Saval, who is chair of the Senate
(00:43):
Urban Affairs and Housing Committee. He's working to address Pennsylvania's
housing wage and climate crisis while pushing for justice and
equity for all. Senator Saval will share details about Homecoming,
a day for Justice Impacted Philadelphians happening Saturday, November eighth
at the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, a powerful event connecting
(01:04):
returning citizens with jobs, legal aid and healthcare services to
help rebuild lives and restore hope.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
But first, so hello, My name is Marielli Costanzo. I
am the in common EVP of operations for Alpha Philadelphia.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Thank you for joining us. Maria and Women of Alba
is presenting elevating voices inspiring change. Tell us what this
event is and what people can expect and all the
details of where it's going to happen, what time and
all that.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
So as the title of States Divent is just empowering
the women in the area of Philadelphia. We have light
different leaders in the area that have given all the
efforts to help out the Latino community. The event will
have multiple warshops that have networking and it's an amazing
opportunity for people to get to know each other and
(01:52):
to get amazing women to get to know amazing women
in the area. The event move in November seven at
seven thirty am. It is for breakfast, so hopefully you
guys can join us.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Great and if people would like more information and also
where it's located, where do they find out more?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Sure so they can for more information in our website.
You can find us in Instagram buff under Alpha Philly.
And Alpha. It is alp FA Alpha Philly and you
can also find the tickets on EBA Brian.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
And we're live here outside the Perez family home, just
waiting for the and there they go, almost on time.
This morning, Mom is coming out the front door, strong
with a double arm kid carry. Looks like dad has
the bags. Daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh, but
the diaper bag wasn't closed. Diapers and toys are everywhere.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Ooh, but mom has just.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Nailed the perfect car seat buckle for the toddler. And
now the eldest daughter, who looks to be about nine
or ten, has secured herself in the booster seat. Dad
zips the bag closed and they're off. Ah, but look
it like Mom doesn't realize her coffee cup is still
on the roof of the car and there it goes. Oh,
that's a shame. That mug was a fam favorite.
Speaker 4 (03:09):
Don't sweat the small stuff, just nail the big stuff,
like making sure your kids are buckle correctly in the
right seat for their agent's eyes. Learn more at NHTSA
dot gov slash the Right Seat visits NHDSA.
Speaker 5 (03:20):
Dot gov slash the Right Seat.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
Brought to you by NITZA and the ad Council.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Citadel Credit Union has been celebrating local teachers for twenty
five years. This year, they're awarding over one hundred thousand
dollars in grants, and your favorite teacher could be next.
If you know an educator who goes above and beyond,
share why they deserve to win the Citadel Heart of
Learning Award at Citadel Banking dot org. Slash Teachers.
Speaker 6 (03:40):
You said you'd never buy your kid candy from the
checkout aisle, or forget extra diapers, and never give into
a meltdown. You'd never lick your thumb to clean their face,
never let them have too much green time, and never
bribe them for just one more bite. You say you'd
(04:05):
never let them out in public without their hair brush,
never ever become a minivan mom, and you'd never give
them your phone for a quiet dinner.
Speaker 7 (04:16):
Falling boss work phone.
Speaker 6 (04:19):
So when you say you'd never leave your child in
a hot car, no, it can happen. Cars get hot fast,
and kids can be at risk in temperatures as low
as sixty degrees fahrenheit.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Never happens before.
Speaker 6 (04:34):
You leave the car. Always stop. Look luck brought to
you by Nitz and the ad Council.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Owning a home is a major milestone, but can also
feel out of reach without the right support and guidance.
The Urban League of Greater Philadelphia is helping change that
through its comprehensive home Buyers Program, which equips individuals and
families with the knowledge, tool and resources they need to
achieve sustainable homeownership. Joining us right now is Abraham reyes Pardo,
who's vice president of the Office of Housing and Diversion
(05:09):
Services at the Urban League of Greater Philadelphia. It's going
to talk to us about how this program is opening
doors to opportunity across our city. So tell us about
this home Buyers program. Who is eligible and is it
just for first time buyers?
Speaker 5 (05:22):
That's an excellent question. Thank you for having me. Yeah,
the program is open to anyone who wants to gain
knowledge about the home buying process. We have a targeted
focus on first time home buyers. In twenty twenty two,
we embark on a special project called Philly five thousand
where we want to bring five thousand families into home ownership.
And with that came special effort to guide more people
(05:45):
into getting the resources that they need to achieve sustainable
home ownership. Someone whose own home can also use our
program ten our classes receive counseling as a refresher. I
mean some of these processes have changed over time, including
some of the programs at the City of Philadelphia offers
(06:06):
in terms of taxes, probably taxes and other protections for homeowners,
particularly now that the City of Philadelphia is about to
launch the Home Initiative, which I'm sure some people have
heard about. And there's always been the synergy between the
housing counseling organizations and the city for the deployment of
some of these programs.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Well, so what kind of execs services specifically in support
does the Urban League provide to help potential home buyers
get ready to buy a home?
Speaker 5 (06:33):
So we run we have a Saturday morning show that's
I like to call it kindly, but it's an ongoing
for standing for some home Bark webinar that runs from
ten am to two pm every Saturday, yes or yes
or an average year, we complete around sixty three of
those sessions. So we have our standing Zoom session where
(06:54):
we have a realtor, lender, home inspector and someone other
professionals talking what it takes to become a homeowner, including
a housing counselor that's one of those professionals. So we
have those standing sessions happening every Saturday, and then we
go out into the community based mins, community rooms, houses
of worship, you name, it will be to one of those.
(07:17):
And the idea is to go into some of these
places knowing that some people are not technology savvy. The
digital divide is real. Some people are still having a
hard time accessing this information. So we put special attention
and we partner with local members of the community or
organizations who are executing some kind of work to give
you an idea. In West Philadelphia, for example, we have
(07:39):
partnered with long standing real estate organizations that we know
are in service of those communities, and then we go
with them, we organize sessions, and then we follow up.
Whereas the people who attend those sessions across the board
have the option to receive one on one counseling as well,
so we're doing the financial literacy, we're doing housing councils.
(08:00):
During the one on one counseling, we talk about your
financial profile. What goes into your financial profile, credit, asset,
income's income collateral. If you already have an idea of
what property you're looking at right, and then once we
have done one two like in boxing, then we bring
you into the other option, which is if you are
going to make it to the finish line, we reward
(08:22):
you with down payment and closing costses system.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Oh wow, that's amazing.
Speaker 5 (08:26):
So one of the things that our program has been
very successful at and what we are getting a reputation
for is because we have been able to take all
this information programs offered by lenders, by realtors, by the state,
by the City of Philadelphia, and we are team of
hot profousing counselors can meet with someone and kind of
give them an idea of their situation pairs with these
(08:49):
different programs. So some people are walking into these transactions
with capital stacks of forty six thousand dollars from different
programs that they were able to level. That always makes
me happy. I'm not going to say that's the rule,
but a lot of people can qualify for programs available
through the state, through the city, and then we're always
encouraging mortgage lenders and banks to provide that additional support
(09:14):
that a lot of folks need due to the lack
of wealth or generational.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Wealth, and sometimes people just don't know what they don't know.
I think that's the problem. You know, there are lots
of programs out there, but if you don't know what
they are, then you can't take advantage. So you kind
of are the one stop shop to help you corral
all that benefit and money.
Speaker 5 (09:33):
There's a lot of misinformation and we continue to fight
with that. Sometimes people coming to the program, they tell
you how my program runs, and I am like, well, yes,
there's some truth to that, but here are the steps one,
two three. We're not rigid, but we organize will help
them organize some of those ideas so they can achieve
their goal of sustainable homeownership.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
I wonder if you can give us an example of
a homeowner or someone who was a potential homeowner that
was able to cross that finish line.
Speaker 5 (10:02):
Yeah. Lately, I've been talking about a lot about the
twenty year olds who are coming to our program. People
who are younger and are just have been had employment history,
have been really good at that may perhaps saving some
money or getting assistance from a member of the family,
(10:23):
and then we connect them with resources as well. So
I don't know where you were a twenty years old
but at by twenty years old, I was definitely not
thinking about buying a house exactly. So one of them
actually came to us when he was nineteen and he
(10:43):
turned twenty as if he had already purchased his first home. Wow,
So young folks, just because there's a lot of talk
these days about younger people not being able to access
home ownership, we know. Let me just say that, we
know that in Philadelphia things are changing, right just like
in everywhere every other market. That's part of the reason
(11:06):
why things are changing in Philadelphia because the surrounding markets
are taking notice about Philadelphia. But one of the things
that pre builds in Philadelphia is home ownership is still
relatively accessible, Whereas with two two hundred and fifty thousand
dollars in places like New York or DC, you're definitely
(11:27):
not buying a house. And in Philadelphia is still a
reality for a lot of folks. And we the tradition
of Philadelphia is home ownership. This has been historically a
place of homeowners and we are helping people preserve and
communities preserve that.
Speaker 8 (11:44):
Well.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Abraham tell us how can listeners register or get more
information about the program.
Speaker 5 (11:49):
That's a very good question. We're everywhere. We have a beautiful,
recently reimagined website that can give you all of information
about how to join our program. We're also on event
bright where people can find us, and we have a
solid following of around three thousand people that are consistently
watching what we do, and that includes a lot of
(12:12):
people in the lending and realtor community. So anyone who
googles to Urban League event bright will be able to
find you find us. Urban League philow dot org is
one of our avenues. Everything gets disseminated through a different
social media channels linkeding x, Instagram, Facebook, We try.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
And is there a phone number for those people who
aren't so tech savvy.
Speaker 5 (12:35):
Exactly yes, two one five ninety five three two two
zero two one five nine eight five three two two zero.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
Well, the dream of home ownership seems so far away
for so many people, but the Urban League of Philadelphia
of Greater Philadelphia is really helping make those dreams come true.
And I'm very delighted to hear that young people like
nineteen and twenty are thinking about home ownership and are
actually getting home, because, as we know, that's really the
start of building generational wealth, right.
Speaker 5 (13:04):
Building generational wealth. That's something that is extremely important for
their own league. We've heard what is happening with tangled
titles in Philadelphia. I mean the FU Charitable Trusts published
that article now four years ago, so that is something
that we're also helping address. I mean ten thousand families
being in that sort of lay Mow Gray area. Very
(13:28):
specialized but also expensive work to untangle those titles. So
once we have brought people into home ownership, we also
talk about estate planning with them.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
That's fantastic. So you really create an opportunity in a
platform for people to stabilize their finances, to build wealth
and to go from you know, from zero to having
something that can pass on to their next generation.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
Right.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (13:57):
And I love it when we have our sixty to
ninety people in the class every Saturday, and then we
have a lot of what comes out of the mouths
of our constituents, of our clients is I want to
buy a house because they want to live something for
my kids beautiful.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
I love that and that is a major milestone for
so many people. It's really what they used to call
the American dream. And you know, the Philadelphia, the Urban
League of Greater Philadelphia is helping to make that happen
through their Comprehensive Home Buyers Program, which helps individuals and
families with knowledge, tools, and resources they need to achieve
(14:34):
sustainable home ownership and so much more. Thank you so much,
Abraham yes Pardo, Vice President of the Office of Housing
and Diversion Services at the Urban League of Greater Philadelphia.
Thanks for sharing all that information.
Speaker 5 (14:46):
I appreciate you. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 7 (14:49):
The Alzheimer's Association and the AD Council present the story
of Tom and Levi.
Speaker 9 (14:54):
Tom is the smartest man I know. He's been a
professor at two major university. He's been a teacher for
over forty years. One day he told me that he
was having problems in his classes.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
I think one of the.
Speaker 9 (15:06):
Students had asked the question and he didn't remember the answer.
And I also noticed that he was letting his class
out earlier than they were supposed to let out, and
he was telling them that he was doing it as
a favor to them, but I think in reality, he
just wanted to get out of there. I was really
starting to worry because I saw something that's wrong.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Levi and I talked about how it would change our lives.
Speaker 4 (15:29):
But he was there beside me, and my love for
him was just immense.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
When something feels different, it could be Alzheimer's.
Speaker 9 (15:38):
Now is the time to talk.
Speaker 10 (15:40):
Visit alz dot org slash our stories to learn more.
A message from the Alzheimer's Association and the ad Council.
Not completing high school is more of a social thing
than it was an academic thing. I came out in
the eleventh grade. Nobody was embracing you. The kids were cruel.
It was very difficult to be gay. Even in all
(16:03):
these years have passed, I still had that longing to
have my diploma. The hard part was determining that I
was gonna do it. But I definitely didn't do it alone.
Speaker 7 (16:12):
At age thirty, with the help of her mentor, Carissa
finished her high school diploma.
Speaker 10 (16:17):
I have a mentor, Maria. She convinced me to continue
my education and to finish what I started to get
my diploma. Just never judges. She's a true role model.
If you're even considering getting your high school diploma, go
get it.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
You can do it.
Speaker 7 (16:34):
No one gets a diploma alone. If you're thinking of
finishing your high school diploma, you have help find free
adult education classes near you at finish your Diploma dot org.
That's Finish your Diploma dot org, brought to you by
the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and the AD Council.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Joining us today is State Senator Kill Saval, who represents
Pennsylvania's first Senatorial district, spanning the heart of Philadelphia. A father, husband, writer,
and organizer, Senator Saval serves as the Democratic Chair of
the Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee and chair of
the Philadelphia Delegation. His work focuses on addressing the commonwealth, housing, wage,
(17:18):
and climate crises while championing just as an equity for
all Pennsylvanias. He's here to talk to us about an
important upcoming event, Homecoming, a Day for Justice Impacted Philadelphians,
happening on Saturday, November eighth, and we'll get into all
the details of that, but the idea of it is
to provide resources supporting individuals rebuilding their lives after incarceration. Well,
(17:40):
thank you so much, Senator for joining us. Can you
tell us what inspired you to create Homecoming, a Day
for Justice Impacted Philadelphians and what you hope participants will
take away from the event.
Speaker 8 (17:51):
Absolutely so thank you so much for having me the
idea for homecoming, And it's essentially our second version of
this and came out of the status of incarceration and
people coming home from incarceration in the United States. You know,
about six hundred and fifty thousand people are released from
(18:12):
prisons in the United States every year, and when you
come home, you really face a huge array of requirements
and obstacles. These barriers create a complex web that many
people returning home get caught in. And our country has
a very high recidivism rate, close to seventy percent. We
have one of the highest rates of incarceration, of course
in the world. And it's just important to note that
(18:35):
your sentence doesn't quite end when you're released, even though
you as it were done your time, you have a
criminal record that trails after you wherever you go in
whatever you do, and it harms your access to education, employment,
and housing. So, knowing that people deal with this coming
out of prison, and we have many, many constituents who do,
and you know, not many Philadelphians we know who do,
(18:57):
we wanted to offer an opportunity for people who are
impact by the criminal legal system to access resources and
services to support them in returning home and in that
way celebrate community connection and the transformative power of a
second chance. And so we just think that people who
have served their time and fulfilled the obligations ask of
them deserve the opportunity to come home and rebuild their
(19:20):
lives for themselves, for their loved ones, and their communities.
That's the idea behind Homecoming.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
Great, Senator, you talk about some of the factors that
contribute to recidivism, making it difficult for those who are
returning citizens to successfully reintegrate into society, and this particular
event has a lot of resources that are directly related
to some of those challenges. Can you be more specific
about some of the things that people can expect to
(19:46):
see and experience when they come to this event.
Speaker 8 (19:49):
Absolutely. So what we're doing is we're really bringing resources
and services for people impacted under all one roof, so
you can get the support you need and access tools
and networks that you may not even realize are available
for you. And people coming home have often had multiple
obstacles that they're facing. So we have companies committed to
hiring people who are returning from incarceration. We have organizations
(20:12):
that can help people get access to food into housing.
We have groups that focus on helping people meet their
educational goals. We have city services who can answer questions
about what services are available, even with regard to information
on voting, and of course organizations that can help people
with expungement services or record sealing, you know, so all
of those and again we know that people who are
(20:32):
in re entry may deal with all of those issues
at the same time. They may have struggled to find housing,
they may struggle to find food, they may struggle to
find a job, and they may also struggle to find
other people who are dealing with those issues as well.
And so I think what we also want is for
this event to offer opportunities for members of the community
to build connections with one another. And that's what people
(20:54):
should expect from the event.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
Pennsylvania continues to face major housing and re entry challenges.
Of these issues intersect and what legislative or policy solutions
are you working on right now?
Speaker 8 (21:06):
So since I've been in office, I've introduced legislation to
band discrimination against people in the housing market, against people
who have criminal records, you know, like we said, and
at least according to one statistic, a third of Americans
have some form of interaction with the criminal justice system
and so may have a record, and so that's you know,
it's a huge number of people and a lot of
(21:30):
rental housing screens for people with criminal records, and it
means that when you come home, you're not you know,
truly able to as it work, to come home to
have a second chance if you're not able to get
access to housing. Not having access to housing means that
you may not have a stable place to receive mail,
you may not have a stable place to launch your
job search, you know, to start a new life. Housing
(21:51):
is sort of the nexus of all of those things.
And so that legislation, the Fair Chance Housing legislation, again
is something that we've been working on since I arted
in office because we believe that one of the critical
things that someone needs when they come home is the
ability to find safe, stable and secure housing. We spoke
to re entry groups all around the state and support
(22:12):
of this legislation, and a lot of people see the need,
They see the need that for rental housing, for housing
to be able to welcome people with criminal records, and
more generally, I've been working on housing as a major
issue my time in the Senate have created a program
called Whole Home Repairs, which helps people get access to
dollars to help maintain and stay in their homes when
(22:34):
they have critical repair issues that might endanger their health
the safety of their home. And that's been helping to
maintain and stabilize thousands of homes across Pennsylvania. But we
need to tackle the housing crisis on all fronts, and
the specific interaction of the criminal justice system and our
housing crisis is a pain point for a lot of
people coming home.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
On a sort of a personal note, I've always asked
elected officials and public servants this question, and that is
what drives you to do what you do, because certainly
right now we're in very difficult, challenging times right politically
and as in nation, and there are a lot of
folks who have lost faith in the democratic process, the
(23:14):
political process. And yet you jumped in from being sort
of a community activist to taking that step into elected office.
And I wonder if you can talk a little bit
about what your experience has been over these last couple
of years. You're relatively new in the long view of
things in politics in Pennsylvania. What are some of the
things that you've observed. And what do you have to
(23:36):
say to folks out there who are a little bit jaded,
a little bit disillusioned with the process of our democracy
as it is right now.
Speaker 8 (23:44):
Well, you know, I have to say that I got
into office frankly because I was one of those people.
I was not someone who ever saw myself certainly an
elected office, but even for a long time involved in politics.
But you know, the twenty years of my adulthood and
I've been witnessed, you know, a huge transformation, and you
(24:05):
know a lot of difficult moments in our country's history,
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the financial crisis, but
also major upsurges in popular power and expression, from the
occupied movement to the Black Lives Matter movement, me to
the George Floyd uprising during the height of the COVID
nineteen pandemic. All of that has shown me that, on
(24:26):
the other hand, while we have major crises that we're
facing as a country, and we have a massive growth
in inequality, of course, in wealth, but that leads to
in inequalities and power, we've also seen extraordinary upsurges in
political power among ordinary people. And so I got into
office fundamentally to bring that power into political office. I
(24:48):
wanted to create an open door between legislative office and
the work that we do here in Harrisburg or in
government more generally, and the needs of ordinary people that
you see on the stream. It's that you see in
organizing workplaces that you see, you know, just in order
to build new trajectories for their lives. And that extends
to people who are in re entry, people who are
(25:10):
moving to transform our prison system, one of the largest
in the world, you know, which incarcerates more people than
any other major advanced sort of capitalist country. And so,
you know, I think that all of those things are
intertwined and it motivates me every day. And I have
to say, I am optimistic about the future of our
country and our state and our ability to lead ourselves
(25:33):
into a different future. And I'm optimistic not because of
anything that I'm doing in particular, but because of what
I see other people doing out in the world. I
was able to participate in the know King's protests on
Saturday the eighteenth, and I've seen those protests. I've been
to everyone since they've had one grow and multiply in
the number of people the multi generational effort. It was
(25:54):
the single largest date protest in American history. We have
a lot of people who want to do something different
and are ready to fight for it, you know. So
I'm optimistic.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
Well, I am glad to hear an optimistic point of view,
because certainly we've heard the opposite so much, and it's
always good to see people trying to make a difference.
And that's what is happening on November eighth for those
justice impacted individuals. It is Homecoming, a day for justice
impacted Philadelphians Saturday, November eighth, from eleven am to two
(26:25):
pm at the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging at six twenty
four North Broad Street. This event will bring job recruiters,
expungement and pardons services, healthcare screenings, and so much more,
all aimed at supporting individuals rebuilding their lives after incarceration. Senator,
can you tell us if people would like more information, where.
Speaker 7 (26:45):
Do they go?
Speaker 8 (26:45):
Absolutely so they can reach out to our office. So again,
the information is, It's Saturday, November eighth, from eleven am
to two pm. It's at the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging,
six twenty four North Broad Street. If you have any question,
you can reach out to my office. We're eleven oh
seven nine South sixth Street and our number is is
(27:08):
two six seven sixty six eight three five five zero.
You can reach out to us there and you can
email us at Sabal at pasenate dot com. You can
reach us on social media at Senator Sabal. My handle
is at Senator Saval, and you can go to our
website www dot PA senator Sabal dot com. All those
are ways to reach out to find out more information
(27:29):
about the event.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Fantastic, great event for those who are just as impacted.
Happening once again on November eighth, Homecoming a day for
justice impacted Philadelphians. State Senator Nikhil Saval, thank you so
much for joining us today.
Speaker 8 (27:41):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
You can listen to all of today's interviews by going
to our station website and typing in keyword community. You
can also listen on the iHeartRadio app hey Ward's Philadelphia
Community Podcast. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard.
I'm Lorraine Ballard, MARL and I stand for service to
our community and media that empowers. What will you stand for?
(28:04):
You've been listening to insight and thank you
Good morning, and welcome to Insight. Good morning. You're listening
to Insight, a show about empowering our community. I'm Lorraine
Ballad Morrell. Owning a home can sometimes feel like an
impossible dream, especially with rising costs and so many challenges
in the housing market, but the Urban League of Greater
Philadelphia is helping to make that dream come true. Through
its Comprehensive Home Buyers Program, the Urban League equips individuals
(00:22):
and families with tools, knowledge, and resources they need to
achieve sustainable home ownership. Later in the show, we'll talk
with Abraham reyes Pardo, Vice President of the Office of
Housing and Diversion Services, about how this program is opening
doors to opportunity across our city. We'll also hear from
State Senator Nikhil Saval, who is chair of the Senate
(00:43):
Urban Affairs and Housing Committee. He's working to address Pennsylvania's
housing wage and climate crisis while pushing for justice and
equity for all. Senator Saval will share details about Homecoming,
a day for Justice Impacted Philadelphians happening Saturday, November eighth
at the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, a powerful event connecting
(01:04):
returning citizens with jobs, legal aid and healthcare services to
help rebuild lives and restore hope.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
But first, so hello, My name is Marielli Costanzo. I
am the in common EVP of operations for Alpha Philadelphia.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Thank you for joining us. Maria and Women of Alba
is presenting elevating voices inspiring change. Tell us what this
event is and what people can expect and all the
details of where it's going to happen, what time and
all that.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
So as the title of States Divent is just empowering
the women in the area of Philadelphia. We have light
different leaders in the area that have given all the
efforts to help out the Latino community. The event will
have multiple warshops that have networking and it's an amazing
opportunity for people to get to know each other and
(01:52):
to get amazing women to get to know amazing women
in the area. The event move in November seven at
seven thirty am. It is for breakfast, so hopefully you
guys can join us.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Great and if people would like more information and also
where it's located, where do they find out more?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Sure so they can for more information in our website.
You can find us in Instagram buff under Alpha Philly.
And Alpha. It is alp FA Alpha Philly and you
can also find the tickets on EBA Brian.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
And we're live here outside the Perez family home, just
waiting for the and there they go, almost on time.
This morning, Mom is coming out the front door, strong
with a double arm kid carry. Looks like dad has
the bags. Daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh, but
the diaper bag wasn't closed. Diapers and toys are everywhere.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Ooh, but mom has just.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Nailed the perfect car seat buckle for the toddler. And
now the eldest daughter, who looks to be about nine
or ten, has secured herself in the booster seat. Dad
zips the bag closed and they're off. Ah, but look
it like Mom doesn't realize her coffee cup is still
on the roof of the car and there it goes. Oh,
that's a shame. That mug was a fam favorite.
Speaker 4 (03:09):
Don't sweat the small stuff, just nail the big stuff,
like making sure your kids are buckle correctly in the
right seat for their agent's eyes. Learn more at NHTSA
dot gov slash the Right Seat visits NHDSA.
Speaker 5 (03:20):
Dot gov slash the Right Seat.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
Brought to you by NITZA and the ad Council.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Citadel Credit Union has been celebrating local teachers for twenty
five years. This year, they're awarding over one hundred thousand
dollars in grants, and your favorite teacher could be next.
If you know an educator who goes above and beyond,
share why they deserve to win the Citadel Heart of
Learning Award at Citadel Banking dot org. Slash Teachers.
Speaker 6 (03:40):
You said you'd never buy your kid candy from the
checkout aisle, or forget extra diapers, and never give into
a meltdown. You'd never lick your thumb to clean their face,
never let them have too much green time, and never
bribe them for just one more bite. You say you'd
(04:05):
never let them out in public without their hair brush,
never ever become a minivan mom, and you'd never give
them your phone for a quiet dinner.
Speaker 7 (04:16):
Falling boss work phone.
Speaker 6 (04:19):
So when you say you'd never leave your child in
a hot car, no, it can happen. Cars get hot fast,
and kids can be at risk in temperatures as low
as sixty degrees fahrenheit.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Never happens before.
Speaker 6 (04:34):
You leave the car. Always stop. Look luck brought to
you by Nitz and the ad Council.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Owning a home is a major milestone, but can also
feel out of reach without the right support and guidance.
The Urban League of Greater Philadelphia is helping change that
through its comprehensive home Buyers Program, which equips individuals and
families with the knowledge, tool and resources they need to
achieve sustainable homeownership. Joining us right now is Abraham reyes Pardo,
who's vice president of the Office of Housing and Diversion
(05:09):
Services at the Urban League of Greater Philadelphia. It's going
to talk to us about how this program is opening
doors to opportunity across our city. So tell us about
this home Buyers program. Who is eligible and is it
just for first time buyers?
Speaker 5 (05:22):
That's an excellent question. Thank you for having me. Yeah,
the program is open to anyone who wants to gain
knowledge about the home buying process. We have a targeted
focus on first time home buyers. In twenty twenty two,
we embark on a special project called Philly five thousand
where we want to bring five thousand families into home ownership.
And with that came special effort to guide more people
(05:45):
into getting the resources that they need to achieve sustainable
home ownership. Someone whose own home can also use our
program ten our classes receive counseling as a refresher. I
mean some of these processes have changed over time, including
some of the programs at the City of Philadelphia offers
(06:06):
in terms of taxes, probably taxes and other protections for homeowners,
particularly now that the City of Philadelphia is about to
launch the Home Initiative, which I'm sure some people have
heard about. And there's always been the synergy between the
housing counseling organizations and the city for the deployment of
some of these programs.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Well, so what kind of execs services specifically in support
does the Urban League provide to help potential home buyers
get ready to buy a home?
Speaker 5 (06:33):
So we run we have a Saturday morning show that's
I like to call it kindly, but it's an ongoing
for standing for some home Bark webinar that runs from
ten am to two pm every Saturday, yes or yes
or an average year, we complete around sixty three of
those sessions. So we have our standing Zoom session where
(06:54):
we have a realtor, lender, home inspector and someone other
professionals talking what it takes to become a homeowner, including
a housing counselor that's one of those professionals. So we
have those standing sessions happening every Saturday, and then we
go out into the community based mins, community rooms, houses
of worship, you name, it will be to one of those.
(07:17):
And the idea is to go into some of these
places knowing that some people are not technology savvy. The
digital divide is real. Some people are still having a
hard time accessing this information. So we put special attention
and we partner with local members of the community or
organizations who are executing some kind of work to give
you an idea. In West Philadelphia, for example, we have
(07:39):
partnered with long standing real estate organizations that we know
are in service of those communities, and then we go
with them, we organize sessions, and then we follow up.
Whereas the people who attend those sessions across the board
have the option to receive one on one counseling as well,
so we're doing the financial literacy, we're doing housing councils.
(08:00):
During the one on one counseling, we talk about your
financial profile. What goes into your financial profile, credit, asset,
income's income collateral. If you already have an idea of
what property you're looking at right, and then once we
have done one two like in boxing, then we bring
you into the other option, which is if you are
going to make it to the finish line, we reward
(08:22):
you with down payment and closing costses system.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Oh wow, that's amazing.
Speaker 5 (08:26):
So one of the things that our program has been
very successful at and what we are getting a reputation
for is because we have been able to take all
this information programs offered by lenders, by realtors, by the state,
by the City of Philadelphia, and we are team of
hot profousing counselors can meet with someone and kind of
give them an idea of their situation pairs with these
(08:49):
different programs. So some people are walking into these transactions
with capital stacks of forty six thousand dollars from different
programs that they were able to level. That always makes
me happy. I'm not going to say that's the rule,
but a lot of people can qualify for programs available
through the state, through the city, and then we're always
encouraging mortgage lenders and banks to provide that additional support
(09:14):
that a lot of folks need due to the lack
of wealth or generational.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Wealth, and sometimes people just don't know what they don't know.
I think that's the problem. You know, there are lots
of programs out there, but if you don't know what
they are, then you can't take advantage. So you kind
of are the one stop shop to help you corral
all that benefit and money.
Speaker 5 (09:33):
There's a lot of misinformation and we continue to fight
with that. Sometimes people coming to the program, they tell
you how my program runs, and I am like, well, yes,
there's some truth to that, but here are the steps one,
two three. We're not rigid, but we organize will help
them organize some of those ideas so they can achieve
their goal of sustainable homeownership.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
I wonder if you can give us an example of
a homeowner or someone who was a potential homeowner that
was able to cross that finish line.
Speaker 5 (10:02):
Yeah. Lately, I've been talking about a lot about the
twenty year olds who are coming to our program. People
who are younger and are just have been had employment history,
have been really good at that may perhaps saving some
money or getting assistance from a member of the family,
(10:23):
and then we connect them with resources as well. So
I don't know where you were a twenty years old
but at by twenty years old, I was definitely not
thinking about buying a house exactly. So one of them
actually came to us when he was nineteen and he
(10:43):
turned twenty as if he had already purchased his first home. Wow,
So young folks, just because there's a lot of talk
these days about younger people not being able to access
home ownership, we know. Let me just say that, we
know that in Philadelphia things are changing, right just like
in everywhere every other market. That's part of the reason
(11:06):
why things are changing in Philadelphia because the surrounding markets
are taking notice about Philadelphia. But one of the things
that pre builds in Philadelphia is home ownership is still
relatively accessible, Whereas with two two hundred and fifty thousand
dollars in places like New York or DC, you're definitely
(11:27):
not buying a house. And in Philadelphia is still a
reality for a lot of folks. And we the tradition
of Philadelphia is home ownership. This has been historically a
place of homeowners and we are helping people preserve and
communities preserve that.
Speaker 8 (11:44):
Well.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Abraham tell us how can listeners register or get more
information about the program.
Speaker 5 (11:49):
That's a very good question. We're everywhere. We have a beautiful,
recently reimagined website that can give you all of information
about how to join our program. We're also on event
bright where people can find us, and we have a
solid following of around three thousand people that are consistently
watching what we do, and that includes a lot of
(12:12):
people in the lending and realtor community. So anyone who
googles to Urban League event bright will be able to
find you find us. Urban League philow dot org is
one of our avenues. Everything gets disseminated through a different
social media channels linkeding x, Instagram, Facebook, We try.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
And is there a phone number for those people who
aren't so tech savvy.
Speaker 5 (12:35):
Exactly yes, two one five ninety five three two two
zero two one five nine eight five three two two zero.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
Well, the dream of home ownership seems so far away
for so many people, but the Urban League of Philadelphia
of Greater Philadelphia is really helping make those dreams come true.
And I'm very delighted to hear that young people like
nineteen and twenty are thinking about home ownership and are
actually getting home, because, as we know, that's really the
start of building generational wealth, right.
Speaker 5 (13:04):
Building generational wealth. That's something that is extremely important for
their own league. We've heard what is happening with tangled
titles in Philadelphia. I mean the FU Charitable Trusts published
that article now four years ago, so that is something
that we're also helping address. I mean ten thousand families
being in that sort of lay Mow Gray area. Very
(13:28):
specialized but also expensive work to untangle those titles. So
once we have brought people into home ownership, we also
talk about estate planning with them.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
That's fantastic. So you really create an opportunity in a
platform for people to stabilize their finances, to build wealth
and to go from you know, from zero to having
something that can pass on to their next generation.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
Right.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (13:57):
And I love it when we have our sixty to
ninety people in the class every Saturday, and then we
have a lot of what comes out of the mouths
of our constituents, of our clients is I want to
buy a house because they want to live something for
my kids beautiful.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
I love that and that is a major milestone for
so many people. It's really what they used to call
the American dream. And you know, the Philadelphia, the Urban
League of Greater Philadelphia is helping to make that happen
through their Comprehensive Home Buyers Program, which helps individuals and
families with knowledge, tools, and resources they need to achieve
(14:34):
sustainable home ownership and so much more. Thank you so much,
Abraham yes Pardo, Vice President of the Office of Housing
and Diversion Services at the Urban League of Greater Philadelphia.
Thanks for sharing all that information.
Speaker 5 (14:46):
I appreciate you. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 7 (14:49):
The Alzheimer's Association and the AD Council present the story
of Tom and Levi.
Speaker 9 (14:54):
Tom is the smartest man I know. He's been a
professor at two major university. He's been a teacher for
over forty years. One day he told me that he
was having problems in his classes.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
I think one of the.
Speaker 9 (15:06):
Students had asked the question and he didn't remember the answer.
And I also noticed that he was letting his class
out earlier than they were supposed to let out, and
he was telling them that he was doing it as
a favor to them, but I think in reality, he
just wanted to get out of there. I was really
starting to worry because I saw something that's wrong.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Levi and I talked about how it would change our lives.
Speaker 4 (15:29):
But he was there beside me, and my love for
him was just immense.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
When something feels different, it could be Alzheimer's.
Speaker 9 (15:38):
Now is the time to talk.
Speaker 10 (15:40):
Visit alz dot org slash our stories to learn more.
A message from the Alzheimer's Association and the ad Council.
Not completing high school is more of a social thing
than it was an academic thing. I came out in
the eleventh grade. Nobody was embracing you. The kids were cruel.
It was very difficult to be gay. Even in all
(16:03):
these years have passed, I still had that longing to
have my diploma. The hard part was determining that I
was gonna do it. But I definitely didn't do it alone.
Speaker 7 (16:12):
At age thirty, with the help of her mentor, Carissa
finished her high school diploma.
Speaker 10 (16:17):
I have a mentor, Maria. She convinced me to continue
my education and to finish what I started to get
my diploma. Just never judges. She's a true role model.
If you're even considering getting your high school diploma, go
get it.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
You can do it.
Speaker 7 (16:34):
No one gets a diploma alone. If you're thinking of
finishing your high school diploma, you have help find free
adult education classes near you at finish your Diploma dot org.
That's Finish your Diploma dot org, brought to you by
the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and the AD Council.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Joining us today is State Senator Kill Saval, who represents
Pennsylvania's first Senatorial district, spanning the heart of Philadelphia. A father, husband, writer,
and organizer, Senator Saval serves as the Democratic Chair of
the Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee and chair of
the Philadelphia Delegation. His work focuses on addressing the commonwealth, housing, wage,
(17:18):
and climate crises while championing just as an equity for
all Pennsylvanias. He's here to talk to us about an
important upcoming event, Homecoming, a Day for Justice Impacted Philadelphians,
happening on Saturday, November eighth, and we'll get into all
the details of that, but the idea of it is
to provide resources supporting individuals rebuilding their lives after incarceration. Well,
(17:40):
thank you so much, Senator for joining us. Can you
tell us what inspired you to create Homecoming, a Day
for Justice Impacted Philadelphians and what you hope participants will
take away from the event.
Speaker 8 (17:51):
Absolutely so thank you so much for having me the
idea for homecoming, And it's essentially our second version of
this and came out of the status of incarceration and
people coming home from incarceration in the United States. You know,
about six hundred and fifty thousand people are released from
(18:12):
prisons in the United States every year, and when you
come home, you really face a huge array of requirements
and obstacles. These barriers create a complex web that many
people returning home get caught in. And our country has
a very high recidivism rate, close to seventy percent. We
have one of the highest rates of incarceration, of course
in the world. And it's just important to note that
(18:35):
your sentence doesn't quite end when you're released, even though
you as it were done your time, you have a
criminal record that trails after you wherever you go in
whatever you do, and it harms your access to education, employment,
and housing. So, knowing that people deal with this coming
out of prison, and we have many, many constituents who do,
and you know, not many Philadelphians we know who do,
(18:57):
we wanted to offer an opportunity for people who are
impact by the criminal legal system to access resources and
services to support them in returning home and in that
way celebrate community connection and the transformative power of a
second chance. And so we just think that people who
have served their time and fulfilled the obligations ask of
them deserve the opportunity to come home and rebuild their
(19:20):
lives for themselves, for their loved ones, and their communities.
That's the idea behind Homecoming.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
Great, Senator, you talk about some of the factors that
contribute to recidivism, making it difficult for those who are
returning citizens to successfully reintegrate into society, and this particular
event has a lot of resources that are directly related
to some of those challenges. Can you be more specific
about some of the things that people can expect to
(19:46):
see and experience when they come to this event.
Speaker 8 (19:49):
Absolutely. So what we're doing is we're really bringing resources
and services for people impacted under all one roof, so
you can get the support you need and access tools
and networks that you may not even realize are available
for you. And people coming home have often had multiple
obstacles that they're facing. So we have companies committed to
hiring people who are returning from incarceration. We have organizations
(20:12):
that can help people get access to food into housing.
We have groups that focus on helping people meet their
educational goals. We have city services who can answer questions
about what services are available, even with regard to information
on voting, and of course organizations that can help people
with expungement services or record sealing, you know, so all
of those and again we know that people who are
(20:32):
in re entry may deal with all of those issues
at the same time. They may have struggled to find housing,
they may struggle to find food, they may struggle to
find a job, and they may also struggle to find
other people who are dealing with those issues as well.
And so I think what we also want is for
this event to offer opportunities for members of the community
to build connections with one another. And that's what people
(20:54):
should expect from the event.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
Pennsylvania continues to face major housing and re entry challenges.
Of these issues intersect and what legislative or policy solutions
are you working on right now?
Speaker 8 (21:06):
So since I've been in office, I've introduced legislation to
band discrimination against people in the housing market, against people
who have criminal records, you know, like we said, and
at least according to one statistic, a third of Americans
have some form of interaction with the criminal justice system
and so may have a record, and so that's you know,
it's a huge number of people and a lot of
(21:30):
rental housing screens for people with criminal records, and it
means that when you come home, you're not you know,
truly able to as it work, to come home to
have a second chance if you're not able to get
access to housing. Not having access to housing means that
you may not have a stable place to receive mail,
you may not have a stable place to launch your
job search, you know, to start a new life. Housing
(21:51):
is sort of the nexus of all of those things.
And so that legislation, the Fair Chance Housing legislation, again
is something that we've been working on since I arted
in office because we believe that one of the critical
things that someone needs when they come home is the
ability to find safe, stable and secure housing. We spoke
to re entry groups all around the state and support
(22:12):
of this legislation, and a lot of people see the need,
They see the need that for rental housing, for housing
to be able to welcome people with criminal records, and
more generally, I've been working on housing as a major
issue my time in the Senate have created a program
called Whole Home Repairs, which helps people get access to
dollars to help maintain and stay in their homes when
(22:34):
they have critical repair issues that might endanger their health
the safety of their home. And that's been helping to
maintain and stabilize thousands of homes across Pennsylvania. But we
need to tackle the housing crisis on all fronts, and
the specific interaction of the criminal justice system and our
housing crisis is a pain point for a lot of
people coming home.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
On a sort of a personal note, I've always asked
elected officials and public servants this question, and that is
what drives you to do what you do, because certainly
right now we're in very difficult, challenging times right politically
and as in nation, and there are a lot of
folks who have lost faith in the democratic process, the
(23:14):
political process. And yet you jumped in from being sort
of a community activist to taking that step into elected office.
And I wonder if you can talk a little bit
about what your experience has been over these last couple
of years. You're relatively new in the long view of
things in politics in Pennsylvania. What are some of the
things that you've observed. And what do you have to
(23:36):
say to folks out there who are a little bit jaded,
a little bit disillusioned with the process of our democracy
as it is right now.
Speaker 8 (23:44):
Well, you know, I have to say that I got
into office frankly because I was one of those people.
I was not someone who ever saw myself certainly an
elected office, but even for a long time involved in politics.
But you know, the twenty years of my adulthood and
I've been witnessed, you know, a huge transformation, and you
(24:05):
know a lot of difficult moments in our country's history,
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the financial crisis, but
also major upsurges in popular power and expression, from the
occupied movement to the Black Lives Matter movement, me to
the George Floyd uprising during the height of the COVID
nineteen pandemic. All of that has shown me that, on
(24:26):
the other hand, while we have major crises that we're
facing as a country, and we have a massive growth
in inequality, of course, in wealth, but that leads to
in inequalities and power, we've also seen extraordinary upsurges in
political power among ordinary people. And so I got into
office fundamentally to bring that power into political office. I
(24:48):
wanted to create an open door between legislative office and
the work that we do here in Harrisburg or in
government more generally, and the needs of ordinary people that
you see on the stream. It's that you see in
organizing workplaces that you see, you know, just in order
to build new trajectories for their lives. And that extends
to people who are in re entry, people who are
(25:10):
moving to transform our prison system, one of the largest
in the world, you know, which incarcerates more people than
any other major advanced sort of capitalist country. And so,
you know, I think that all of those things are
intertwined and it motivates me every day. And I have
to say, I am optimistic about the future of our
country and our state and our ability to lead ourselves
(25:33):
into a different future. And I'm optimistic not because of
anything that I'm doing in particular, but because of what
I see other people doing out in the world. I
was able to participate in the know King's protests on
Saturday the eighteenth, and I've seen those protests. I've been
to everyone since they've had one grow and multiply in
the number of people the multi generational effort. It was
(25:54):
the single largest date protest in American history. We have
a lot of people who want to do something different
and are ready to fight for it, you know. So
I'm optimistic.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
Well, I am glad to hear an optimistic point of view,
because certainly we've heard the opposite so much, and it's
always good to see people trying to make a difference.
And that's what is happening on November eighth for those
justice impacted individuals. It is Homecoming, a day for justice
impacted Philadelphians Saturday, November eighth, from eleven am to two
(26:25):
pm at the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging at six twenty
four North Broad Street. This event will bring job recruiters,
expungement and pardons services, healthcare screenings, and so much more,
all aimed at supporting individuals rebuilding their lives after incarceration. Senator,
can you tell us if people would like more information, where.
Speaker 7 (26:45):
Do they go?
Speaker 8 (26:45):
Absolutely so they can reach out to our office. So again,
the information is, It's Saturday, November eighth, from eleven am
to two pm. It's at the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging,
six twenty four North Broad Street. If you have any question,
you can reach out to my office. We're eleven oh
seven nine South sixth Street and our number is is
(27:08):
two six seven sixty six eight three five five zero.
You can reach out to us there and you can
email us at Sabal at pasenate dot com. You can
reach us on social media at Senator Sabal. My handle
is at Senator Saval, and you can go to our
website www dot PA senator Sabal dot com. All those
are ways to reach out to find out more information
(27:29):
about the event.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Fantastic, great event for those who are just as impacted.
Happening once again on November eighth, Homecoming a day for
justice impacted Philadelphians. State Senator Nikhil Saval, thank you so
much for joining us today.
Speaker 8 (27:41):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
You can listen to all of today's interviews by going
to our station website and typing in keyword community. You
can also listen on the iHeartRadio app hey Ward's Philadelphia
Community Podcast. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard.
I'm Lorraine Ballard, MARL and I stand for service to
our community and media that empowers. What will you stand for?
(28:04):
You've been listening to insight and thank you
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